My brother Mike and I circa 1976. Move over John Travolta… that stylin’ disco dude in the background is our dad.

Siblings fight. It’s totally normal. So apparently my children are abnormal. They’re still young though, so all hell could still break loose. But at this moment they are completely peaceful. They have never had a fight or disagreement of any kind. No bickering, hitting, tattling or vying for attention. I watch my son, the older of the two, and marvel at how fiercely protective he is of his kid sister. They are best friends.

This has absolutely NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with parenting. We have not taught them this behaviour. By all accounts the nine year old should resent his little sister. Her medical issues have resulted in him missing out on many outings and a large portion of attention has been diverted away from him to her. Instead of acting out, he simply loves her more.

My brother, three years my junior, and I were the same; best buddies growing up. Apart from a few squabbles in our teen years, I don’t recall a single harsh word between us, ever. He’s a grown man now, but I still think of him as a sweet, thoughtful boy. He’s a husband and a father and a talented artist, but to me he’ll always be my little brother.

My sibling is an adventurer. He’s travelled, taken risks, lived on exotic islands, jumped out of planes, earned a dive master’s license, swam across a Caribbean ocean channel in shark invested waters (that one was just stupid in my opinion), raced in triathlons… and now, he’s living the most treacherous, demanding, challenge of all—he’s a stay at home dad, while building a home business on the side (His playhouses are amazing. What child would not LOVE one of these creations?)

He has talent to spare – he can dream it, design it, build it, and fix it if it breaks. He can paint it and my god, he can even bake it. His homemade birthday cakes are amazing. This little brother of mine is making me look bad!

I miss him. He lives with his family in Michigan, a six hour drive away. His wife Tanya owns a successful veterinary clinic and his two beautiful children are thriving and living a dream life on their five acre farm.

My son: “Our yard is boring. Why don’t we have a pond and trails like at Uncle Mike’s?” Good question kid. Why don’t we? Oh ya, our yard is the size of a postage stamp. That’s why.

When my daughter was in hospital a few years ago, my brother dropped everything and drove up here to stay in our house and look after our son so my husband and I could both be at the hospital. Who does that? My brother.

And again today, as my dad is in hospital undergoing a surgical procedure, my sibling dropped everything to be here. He’s the one who asks the doctors the questions, updates the family, takes charge and looks after everyone.

Mike, I am so proud of the man you have become and I’m thankful for you every day.

Your loving big sister/friend,
~ Sa

There are way too many comments to be made about this photo. Mike, your shirt (or the half you’re wearing anyway) is KILLING me! Not that I can talk. What’s with my high-waisted satin shorts? And clearly my training bra isn’t training anything. And who the hell’s dog is that anyway?